Even with a variety of federal and state laws in place, workplace sexual harassment remains a major problem throughout the country.
If you’re the victim of workplace sexual harassment, you shouldn’t wait to take action. This includes the following:
- Speak your mind. This means one thing: letting the harasser know that you want them to stop at once. If you don’t speak up, the person may begin to believe their behavior is acceptable.
- Read your employee handbook. It’s here that you will find information on workplace sexual harassment, including the steps your employer wants you to take to report the behavior. Follow the guidelines down to every last detail.
- Keep records. You should take detailed notes regarding the instances of harassment, ranging from the time to the location to exactly what happened. If there is any sort of evidence, such as an email or photo, be sure to hold onto that as well.
- Report it to your employer. This goes along with reading your employee handbook. Report the harassment to your employer, ask them what comes next and follow up as necessary.
- Take legal action. If you’re unable to work out a resolution through your employer, consider what you can do next. You may be able to seek remedies such as back pay, reinstatement if you lost your job and damages for emotional distress.
As a victim of workplace sexual harassment, never lose sight of the fact that you can take action. When you take the right steps at the right time, you can protect your legal rights while holding the other person accountable for their actions.
